1. Technical Field
This invention relates to vehicle article carriers, and more particularly to a vehicle article carrier incorporating a cross bar which includes a pair of bracket assemblies, where each bracket assembly includes a clamping mechanism for clamping onto a portion of an associated side rail of the vehicle article carrier.
2. Discussion
Vehicle article carriers are used in a wide variety of applications to support luggage and other various articles above an outer body surface of a motor vehicle such as a car, sport utility vehicle or truck. Typically, such vehicle article carriers incorporate a pair of side rails which are secured to an outer body surface of the vehicle. The side rails typically include at least a pair of supports which are secured directly to the outer body surface and which serve to position the side rails slightly above the outer body surface. One or more cross bars are also typically included. One of the cross bars may be fixedly secured to the side rails with the other one of the cross bars being adjustably secured such that it can be moved along the side rails and repositioned thereon as needed to suit specific sized articles being carried thereon.
Many such cross bars as described above incorporate some form of bracket assembly for securing the cross bar at its opposite ends to the side rails. Often these bracket assemblies are of complex construction, and often include numerous independent parts. In some instances, the bracket assemblies cannot be removed easily from the side rails without significant disassembly of either the bracket assembly or the side rail. Thus, when the vehicle article carrier will not be used for prolonged periods of time, it is often inconvenient for the vehicle owner to remove the cross bars.
Various pre-existing bracket assemblies for such cross bars often include complex mechanisms which, in some instances, can be affected by the elements such as snow and ice. Often ice and/or snow affects the ability of the bracket assembly to be easily released from the side rails when the cross bar needs to be repositioned along the side rails.
Still another drawback with many pre-existing bracket assemblies is that they are not quickly and easily installed on the side rails. This adds to the labor required to install the side rails either at a factory assembly line or at a dealership, and thus can contribute to increasing the overall cost of the vehicle article carrier.
It is therefor a principal object of the present invention to provide a vehicle article carrier having a cross bar which includes a pair of bracket assemblies, where each bracket assembly may be quickly and easily clamped onto an associated side rail at a desired position on the side rail.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a vehicle article carrier which incorporates a bracket assembly for a cross bar, where the bracket assembly may be pre-positioned in an orientation so as not to interfere with placement of the bracket assembly on an associated side rail, and thereafter quickly clamped into place via a single fastening member.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a bracket assembly for a cross bar, where the bracket assembly can be quickly and easily unclamped from an associated side rail to enable the cross bar to be completely detached from the side rail with no disassembly of the side rail being required.